'Stargirl' Episode 13 Review: The Justice Society makes their final stand against the ISA
Spoilers for 'Stargirl' Season 1 Episode 13 'Stars & S.T.R.I.P.E. Part 2'
With the lives of millions at stake and the free will of many more, the Justice Society is up against the biggest threat they've ever faced and one of their most powerful members has been turned against them. As the countdown gets closer to its end, the Injustice Society is in absolute control and Stargirl (Brec Bassinger) and the JSA come together for the ultimate fight against an enemy they were brought together to take down.
The adults in Central America have all been brainwashed and frozen in place, aside from the ISA themselves and Pat Dugan (Luke Wilson), who is under Brainwave's (Christopher James Baker) control. With some help from Stargirl, Pat breaks free and the JSA enter into a no-holds-barred brawl with the ISA. The Dragon King (Nelson Lee) is killed by his own daughter while Brainwave got his throat slashed by Wildcat (Yvette Monreal). Hourman (Cameron Gellman) surprisingly, doesn't kill anyone, letting Grundy go at the last minute but Charles McNider (Henry Thomas) falls to Icicle's (Neil Jackon) attack. Ultimately, Stargirl and the JSA stop the ISA's threat, return life in Blue Valley to normal again and the Dugan-Whitmores are shown to have fully accepted each other.
The episode lives up to its hype as a finale. High stakes, great action and some strong, memorable moments that pay off for moments seeded in from the beginning. With so many heroes and villains in enclosed spaces, the action is a little more crowded and less clear cut than usual, but it makes up for this by having a lot of strong impactful moments in the fights themselves. One of the best scenes in the show is how, wordlessly, Stargirl turns the tide of a difficult battle by helping her teammates out, who in turn help each other. It's brilliant storytelling through action and sees the JSA come together as a team for the first time.
The episode as a whole takes on a Disneyfied, light tone. Though the battle begins deep underground, the episode's most climactic moments all happen in the bright light of day, with a cheerful, Christmassy ending closing the season the way it opened - with a focus on a family that has finally found its happy ending. The positive vibes of this episode make the darker tones feel inconsistent with what the show is going for. Yolanda cutting Brainwave's throat open just to watch him die and Chuck's scream as Icicle ends his life are both shocking scenes that feel out of place in the show's brighter tone - something that's been a consistent problem with the season as a whole.
'Stargirl' got itself a true heroes' finale, however, some of the best shots of the season were saved for last, some of them even outdoing a lot of big-budget Hollywood movies that are out there right now. It's a thrilling ride, that sets up a lot of intriguing plot points for Season 2. The finale ends with a lot of unanswered questions, but it's clear that those have been put there by design.
'Stargirl' has been an ambitious series, that spent a lot of its first season in setting things up, all of which does pay off in the end - no plot point or origin story goes entirely to waste. It remains one of the DC Universe's best all-ages superhero show and from the finale's teases, the next season looks to be even bigger and we're looking forward to every minute of it.
All episodes of 'Stargirl' Season 1 are available to stream on DC Universe.